And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

JUDGES 21:23KJV
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Judges 21:23 (KJV)

What does Judges 21:23 mean?

Judges 21:23 describes how the men of the tribe of Benjamin took wives from among the women who were dancing, seizing them as instructed, and then returned to their land, rebuilt their destroyed cities, and settled there. This verse shows the Benjaminites following through on a plan to restore their tribe after it was nearly wiped out.

The setting is after a civil war in Israel, where the tribe of Benjamin had been almost destroyed. The other Israelites had sworn not to give their daughters as wives to the Benjaminites, so a solution was arranged: the Benjaminites could take wives from women who came out to dance at a festival. The verse summarizes the Benjaminites’ actions—taking wives, returning to their inheritance, rebuilding their cities, and living there again.

The Hebrew behind Judges 21:23

  • "took" (נָשָׂא, nāśā’): This word often means "to lift" or "to carry," but here it is used for "taking" wives, emphasizing an active, even forceful, action rather than a mutual agreement.
  • "danced" (חול, chul): This word can mean "to whirl" or "to dance," highlighting the festival setting where the women were engaged in a joyful, public celebration.
  • "caught" (תָּפַשׂ, tāphaś): This word means "to seize" or "to capture," making clear that the Benjaminites physically took the women, not through negotiation or consent, but by force.
  • "repaired" (בָּנָה, bānāh): This verb means "to build" or "to rebuild," showing that the Benjaminites had to restore their ruined towns before they could live in them again.

Why Judges 21:23 matters

  • This verse clarifies the unusual and desperate measures taken to preserve the tribe of Benjamin after near extinction, showing the lengths the Israelites went to keep all twelve tribes intact.
  • The verse highlights the consequences of rash vows and violence in earlier chapters, as the Israelites had to find a workaround for their own oath not to give their daughters to Benjamin.
  • It connects to the wider story of Judges by showing the cycle of conflict, loss, and restoration among the tribes of Israel, and sets the stage for the final verses that reflect on the chaotic state of Israel during this period.

Where else these words appear

“caught” Hebrew H1497 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 21:25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
  • Job 20:19 Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;
  • Jeremiah 21:12 O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

“danced” Hebrew H2342 · used in 58 verses

  • Genesis 8:10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
  • Psalms 29:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
  • Isaiah 51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

“number” Hebrew H4557 · used in 129 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
  • Ezra 3:4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;